LUHS Freshman/Sophomore Session Summaries
Spring 2008
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Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Freshman/Sophomore Activity Period #14
5/14/08
LUHS
 
ILI Students: (F) 16, (S) 8
ILI Staff: Alice McFarlane, Craig Kerr, and Matt White
 
The students came in with their normal energy!  Craig asked them to sit and a circle and he welcomed them and explained a year-end survey that we asked them to fill out.  The students filled out the survey and we all headed outside.  It was a wonderful day outside.
 
One group had a rousing game of matt ball.  This activity is similar to kickball except that you can continue around the bases.  You do not have to stop at home base.  You can also have as many players on the bases as you want.  The students really enjoy this activity and being outside is wonderfully refreshing.
 
The other group worked on art projects.  We have a number of very talented artists in our group!  They had a good time being outside and enjoying the beautiful weather.  
 
The next time this group meets will be May 28th with all the other ILI students.
Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

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Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Freshman/Sophomore Activity Period #12
4/23/08
LUHS
 
ILI Students: (F) 14, (S) 8
ILI Staff:  Craig Kerr, Matt White, and Alice McFarlane
 
Craig welcomed everyone to ILI today.  He let them know that they were special to us and that he was happy that they chose to come to ILI today.  He made a few announcements about the dance coming up in a week and a half on May 2nd from 6 – 9pm at LUHS.  Then all of the students went outside because it was so beautiful.  When we got outside there were a number of homerooms outside as well.  Everyone was taking advantage of the nice weather and each homeroom had their own activity going on.  It was great to be outside and run off some of the spring/cabin fever.  The students enjoyed a great round of Matt Ball.  The activity is similar to Kick Ball except that you can have more than one person on a base at a time and when you go home you can keep running to first if you want.  All of the students (not just our ILI students) really enjoyed the weather and the break from the long winter inside.
 
This group will meet next on May 14
Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

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Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Freshman/Sophomore Activity Period #10
4/9/08
LUHS
 
ILI Students: (F) 15, (S) 5, (Jr.) 8
ILI Staff: Alice McFarlane, Matt White, and Craig Kerr
 
We had a good group of students today and they were happy to be at ILI.  Craig welcomed the group and told them about the middle school dance the ILI is hosting at LUHS on May 2.  He let the students know when and where to meet if they were interested in helping with the planning and setting up for the dance.  Matt and Alice took students to do artistic creations and Craig worked with the group who wanted to physical activity.  It is fun to see different students pick different options depending on what they feel like.  They appreciate having the opportunity to pick between the two activity groups.  The physically active group did a number of activities that kept them moving, smiling and, laughing. We think that high school students having time to balance school with Physical Activity or play is important.  There are excellent theories regarding the importance of play. Children and adults are often placed in situations that create strong emotional reactions that increase adrenalin flow. Play is valuable because it gives children an outlet for their aggression (Kraus, 29).

Some sources to check out if you are interested:
The Value of play by Fiona Rowlands:  http://www.cfc-efc.ca/docs/cccf/00003_en.htm  
Kraus, R. (1990). Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society, Fourth Edition. New York, NY: HarperCollins College.

The next time this group will meet is April 23.

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

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Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Freshman/Sophomore Activity Period #9
9:45-10:15am 3/26/08
LUHS
 
ILI Students: (F) 11, (S) 9, (Jr.) 7
ILI Staff: Alice McFarlane and Craig Kerr
 
Today was the first activity period we have been together since coming back from Spring Break.  The group was excited to be here.  Craig welcomed everyone and let them know he was glad that they were there.  Then he asked the students who attended the Leadership Camp in Louisiana to share their experiences with the group, which they did enthusiastically!  Then we split up the group: one group went with Alice to do arts and craft”ish” activities and Craig did active activities with the students.  The groups enjoyed their first homeroom back.

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

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Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Freshman/Sophomore Activity Period #8
3/12/08
LUHS
 
ILI Students: (F) 13, (S) 3 (Jr.) 5
ILI Staff: Matt White and Craig Kerr
 
Four students elected to go into the commons with Matt to add their personal artistic flavor to the ILI announcement board.  It was a group of young ladies from a variety of backgrounds and economic means.  Matt isn’t sure how much they work or play together elsewhere or what classes they may have together but he was very impressed with their peacefulness with one another.  They were very inclusive of each other and often teased each other in a very welcoming way.  They seemed very comfortable with each other and each other’s thoughts and ways of interacting, which were very different.  It was a very peaceful time.
 
The students that stayed with Craig showed the signs of extreme spring fever.  So with these symptoms Craig decided the remedy was high-energy activities. The students will be able to focus better on their classes after getting some of that spring energy out of their systems.  Again, many people as we get older forget the importance of play and activity. One of the students came up to us after our session and told us that they really enjoyed today’s session.   “I was depressed before ILI and after I felt a lot better and in a great mood”-no doubt much more ready to return to classes and learn than before today’s ILI session! 
 
The next meeting is 3/26.
Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

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Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Freshman/Sophomore Activity Period #8
9:45am-10:15am LUHS School
2/27/08

ILI Students: (F) 14, (S) 7, (J) 6, (Sr.) 4
ILI Staff: Matt White, Alice McFarlane, and Craig Kerr
 
Today we had a great group of students.  You may have noticed that we have been allowing freshman thru seniors to attend our meetings if they desire. We only have 30 minutes each week and its nice to be able to see students more regularly than every other week-there’s more opportunity for mentorship’s to form this way and it’s a nice social time for them! Today, you could feel the cabin or spring fever in their energy!  Craig welcomed the students and made some general announcements about upcoming ILI events.  Then we split the group into two.  One of the groups worked on the ILI bulletin board and the other group did an activity in the multi-purpose room.  The group doing the activity is a very high-energy group and we did an activity called “sock-in-back”.  There is a queen or king of “outees”.  They start on the outside with a sock ball and try and hit one of the “inees” in the back with the sock.  Once an “inee” is hit with the sock they become and “outee”.  This was a great activity to do with these students.  They had a great time with this activity.  Some of them were really trying to find ways to work together to stay “inee”.  It was really fun to watch them try and figure out this activity.   The other group did a great job decorating the ILI bulletin board.  It is very eye catching and really wonderfully designed.
 
At the end of the session we filled out some evaluations that students throughout the building were filling out for the student services department.  When they were finished, it was time for them to head back to class.
 
Next meeting March 12.
Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

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Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2007-2008
LUHS Fresh/Soph Activity Period #7
LUHS
 
ILI Students: (F) 12, (S) 6, (J) 7, (SR.)1
ILI Staff:  Matt White, Alice McFarlane, and Craig Kerr
 
Today we had a good group of students.  Craig asked everyone to sit in a circle and the students were handed a piece of paper and a pencil and Craig asked them three questions: 1) What motivates you to be a part of ILI Homeroom? 2) What do you think ILI’s role is in/at the high school? and 3) What would you like to do during our time together?
 
After the students had time to answer these question Craig asked the students if they would like to do some activities and most of them answered yes.  Then he asked what level of activity would you like low, medium, or high and the majority asked for high.  So, we gave them the opportunity to exercise their winter blues out of their system with a few high-energy activities.  The students really seemed to like this amount of activity and there were many laughs and smiles as the activities continued.
 
The IL I Staff has often discussed what it is that we can do in the limited amount of time we have with the students.  We have tried many things, but wanted to know what it was that the students were thinking and what they wanted out of the time we had to share.  Most of the students answered the first question saying that they like being with their friends during homeroom and that it is fun to be there.  The second question most of the students said that ILI’s role was to bring people together and to make friends, and finally the last question most of the students answered that they would like to have fun and interact with other students with no pressure.  The students seem to asking for a place that they can be themselves and to interact with each other in a safe and fun environment.  We think ILI does a good job of doing this and also adds in thoughtful experiences to challenge the students to think, “What if…?”
 
Next Meeting Feb 20th.

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

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Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2007-08
Homeroom Activity Period 9:45-10:15am
LUHS Freshmen/Sophomore Session #6
1-23-08
 
LUHS ILI Students: 
Freshmen: 13   Sophomores: 1   Juniors: 6
ILI Staff: Alice McFarlane, Matt White, Craig Kerr
      
     As soon as everyone was in the door, Matt called for everyone to grab a partner.  Then he gave them a piece of paper to mark a spot on the ground in a circle.  Then Matt introduced an old favorite game with a new twist.  The group played “Have you ever” in pairs. It is usually played as an individual.   The group had a lot of fun trying to run around doing something they have always been able to do easily while some one on their elbow was trying to go another direction. 
   
    Then Matt had the students sit and take a pencil.  With the pencil, he gave them a “puzzle challenge” that involved being able to twist a person’s grip into a different position on the pencil without letting go or using their fingers.  They worked on it for some time and many got a little frustrated.  Some said that there was no answer.  But after a while they all got it.  Matt then asked them to get together with their partner and come up with the biggest issue or question they have concerning the High school.  After they finished talking and writing, Matt had them think of and write down what their answer to the question would be if they could do anything they wanted to solve, or at least understand, some of the issues they identified.  They asked some good questions and we only had time to talk through a few of them but it really helps us know what they are thinking.  Some of the questions included “why are the bathrooms locked at 2:45pm before school is out?”  The school has been having problems with vandals at that time recently in the bathrooms and they are working to solve this problem. Sometimes the bad actions of a few affect all of us. How do I deal with rumors and name calling? Try and find supportive friends who can help you ignore these things and stay above the fray and out of the drama. How come sometimes when you set up a meeting in student services with a counselor and go there they might be busy with another student?  It’s not because they forgot about you! Think of an emergency room, sometimes there are student emergencies that arise and they have to take precedent. The students have some very good thoughts and insights that we will continue to talk through as the year progresses.

Bob Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative

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